The more you believe me, the more real it becomes.

Chapter 40 Please God
The twenty or thirty people inside the temple were looking at Du Yuan and the statue beside him with awe and bewilderment.

After a long while, the woman broke the silence.

She bowed first and said:
"My name is Han Tang, a daughter of the Han family of Yidu. Our family has a long history in Qi and Lu. My grandfather served as a vice minister in the Secretariat, and my father was the prefect of Qingzhou. Many of our relatives also hold official positions. Our family is quite prosperous and our reputation is very high."

"Today I have had the honor of witnessing the divine power of the Daoist Master. Therefore, I humbly request that the Daoist Master join my Han family and be worshipped by them. At that time, you will be on par with my grandfather and become the person in charge of the winds and helmsmen of my Han family!"

The Han clan of Yidu is indeed far inferior to the Five Clans and Seven Noble Families. But where in the world can one find a clan that can rival the Five Clans and Seven Noble Families?
Even the royal family falls short in this respect.

After all, dynasties change and emperors take turns sitting on the throne, but the five clans and seven noble families still sit firmly on their fishing platforms, overlooking the mountains and rivers.

Therefore, she was determined to win this living deity for the Han family.

The ability to exorcise demons and slay monsters from afar is unheard of!

If it could be accomplished, she even believed that it could add another family to the Five Surnames and Seven Clans!
But she was destined to be disappointed, because Du Yuan simply smiled and shook her head, saying:
"Although I was cautious in my kindness towards the woman before, it was mostly due to her kind nature, so I wanted to repay her kindness. Now the woman is kind to me for her own benefit, but my heart is to save the world from suffering! How can I abandon the greater good for my own family?"

The Han family is large, but how can it compare to the great families of the world?
How can wealth and glory compare to the well-being of all people?
Do not be greedy, our fate ends here.

That was all the woman had heard.

This made her heart skip a beat, as if she had stumbled upon a windfall but immediately missed it.

The path to heaven is clearly visible, yet it remains untouchable.

The guards dared not speak and could only bow and pay their respects to Du Yuan along with their wives.

The first two men were still asleep; Du Yuan could even hear their snoring.

But a moment later, her eyes lit up again as she looked at the dilapidated altar.

She couldn't invite the Han family to be a living deity, so could she respectfully invite this mountain god?

To be fair, of all that I saw tonight, Du Yuan was indeed more unfathomable, after all, he had killed the demon that the Mountain God had failed to slay.

Moreover, Du Yuan is a living person, capable of communication and interaction, and able to enter and leave the world.

The Mountain God sat on the altar, quite a distance from Han Shi of Yidu.

However, since the Taoist priest cannot succeed, then we must try to win over the Mountain God.

Moreover, the Mountain God is at least not as detached from worldly desires as the Taoist priest. He will surely be pleased with the incense offerings that the Han family can provide!
However, one must be mindful of the appropriate level of discretion when speaking.

"Master, you have the world at heart. I was foolish. But since I have been saved by you and the Mountain God tonight, how can I not pay my respects in return?"

"Therefore, I would like to ask you, Daoist Master, to stay with me at my Han family's residence for a while so that I may entertain you. Secondly, I would like to ask you, Daoist Master, how can we rebuild the golden statue of the Mountain God and renovate the temple?"

Du Yuan stood with her hands behind her back, looking at her and said:

"You want to invite this person to protect your Han family?"

The woman, Han Tang, stopped bowing and knelt deeply on the ground, worshipping both Du Yuan and the statue of a deity.

Upon seeing this, all the guards were terrified and quickly knelt down.

Their wives were noble ladies, bestowed the title of Lady of Wutong County by the imperial court. They were proper sixth-rank officials. Aside from those addressing Heaven, Earth, the Emperor, parents, and teachers, who else could command their wives to kneel before them?

Even His Majesty the Emperor only required the daughters of scholar-officials like Madam to kneel and pay homage on important occasions such as sacrifices to Heaven.

But now, their wives are kneeling down before Du Yuan.

"The Taoist priest is the most accomplished person I have ever met in my life, and the mountain god is the only deity who has protected me."

"Personally, I will naturally repay the life-saving grace in every way; publicly..."

The woman continued speaking, her head bowed even lower:
"I was born into the Han family, and thanks to the family's protection, I was granted the title of County Lady. My life has been one of wealth and comfort for ordinary people. I had no worries in my youth, and I have no anxieties now. How could I possibly forget the kindness of my family?"

"Therefore, I naturally wish to request that you two be offered sacrifices by the Han family!"

After much deliberation, she decided to tell him the truth: such a wise person should not be treated with foolish tricks.

That would be suicide!
Du Yuan stared at her intently for a long time, and finally smiled and said:
"That's honest enough."

Hearing Du Yuan's soft laughter, the woman nearly collapsed.

If I'm not mistaken, I must tell you the truth!
She had experienced two situations that she dared not speculate on or deal with. The first was when she received the favor of her grandfather and was granted the title of county lady, and had an audience with His Majesty the Emperor.

His Majesty, known as the Heroic Emperor, sat majestically on the dragon throne, exuding boundless majesty.

But that kind of authority came more from the laws of the court, the military forces of the country, and the unclear grudges between aristocratic families and the royal family, making it difficult for you and me to distinguish.

As for the second option, that would be today!

It is no longer human authority, but something else entirely—truly high above, looking down upon the world!

"However, whether this person agrees or not is not up to me to decide."

"Master, you are a true master. You must know one or two ways out. Please enlighten me so that I may be able to sculpt a golden statue for the Mountain God, repair the temple, and offer incense."

Du Yuan glanced back at the dilapidated statue, then at the pitiful temple.

Then I thought about how this person could remember even the last vestige of his own incense offering.
Okay, everyone gets what they need.

I'll act as a go-between; whether it works out or not depends on each person's own thoughts and fate.

However, this should be done beforehand.

Du Yuan did not look at the woman, but turned to the statue, cupped her hands, and asked:

"Then I will try to make arrangements; would you be willing?"

'Ok'

The voice echoed in my ears once more.

Having obtained the consent of the person in question, Du Yuan had no more concerns.

He turned to the woman and asked:

"Have you really thought it through?"

Han Tang said with great joy:
"nature!"

Du Yuan asked again:
"Would your tribe really agree?"

"How could I disagree with such a wonderful thing!"

Du Yuan nodded and said:

"Alright, then. If you want to seek the blessing of this person, then you'd better use your own two feet to properly measure this mountain."

"Only after seeing its true form will you understand your own thoughts and show your sincerity. At that time, you will be able to return to your Han family and discuss the matter of sculpting the statue and repairing the temple."

"Remember, since you are asking the mountain god for blessings, you must make sure to walk the whole way on your own feet."

The woman hurriedly kowtowed and said:

"I certainly understand!"

"Ah That's good."

"Can we start now?"

Du Yuan glanced at the statue, and seeing that it did not object, she said:

"If you think it's okay, then go for it."

The woman breathed a sigh of relief; it was clear that she wanted to secure the deal as soon as possible.

After bowing to Du Yuan again, she said:

“I do not mean to be disrespectful to the Taoist priest, but the matter of invoking the gods is far too important for a woman like me. Therefore, I beg the Taoist priest to forgive me. When the matter is over, I will definitely visit you to apologize and pay my respects.”

Du Yuan waved her hand and laughed:

"No need to care."

(End of this chapter)